Microsoft Exception MessageBox

INauseous() - Microsoft Exception MessageBox - Nice little gem

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Microsoft Exception Message Box

The other day I was working with some of the downloads included in the Feature Pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - April 2006 and I noticed in that pack an item called Microsoft Exception Message Box.  Here’s the text for that download from the Feature Pack page:

The exception message box is a programmatic interface that you can use in your applications for any tasks for which MessageBox may be used. The exception message box is a supported managed assembly designed to elegantly handle managed code exceptions. It provides significantly more control over the messaging experience and gives your users the options to save error message content for later reference and to get help on messages.

More investigation, on the Microsoft MSDN website under Deploying an Exception Message Box Application the following statement appears:

The exception message box is installed by Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and is supported for use in your custom Windows applications to improve exception handling. In SQL Server 2005 SP1 and later releases, the exception message box is also provided as a redistributable installation program that you can distribute and deploy with your application.

It goes on to state:

• You must include the exception message box redistributable package (SQLServer2005_EMB.msi) in your application setup.
• Exception message box resources are installed in the global assembly cache (GAC).
• The redistributable package is available in all supported SQL Server 2005 languages.
• The exception message box installation does not appear in Add or Remove Programs. You should plan to uninstall the exception message box when your application is uninstalled.

What does this mean?  Well, Microsoft has granted us a license to use and redistribute this Assembly with our own applications as long as we follow the installation rules in the list above. ..."

Now that’s cool. I hate reinventing the "Error Dialog" all the time. This is a perfect kind of component to come from MS. A basic infrastructure item that many (almost every?) WinForm app needs in form or another...

Now all I need is a ClickOnce bootstrap for this and I’m good... Shouldn’t be to hard to create the bootstrap manifest for it (I hope).

For more information, also check out href="http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms166343.aspx" target=_self>Exception Message Box Programming and How to: Program Exception Message Box